Upon its launch in India, Skoda Kushaq will lock horns with Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos
Consumers who are in the market for mid-sized SUVs, are awaiting the launch of upcoming GW Group cars with intensified breadth. Under the India 2.0 program, both Volkswagen and Skoda are expected to launch a line of products that has kept people very interested starting this year.
Since Skoda is leading this campaign, the India 2.0 program will start with the launch of the brand’s new compact SUV offering Kushaq which has been completely developed in India. The crossover is set to make its global debut on March 18, 2020, followed by its launch in India soon after.
Kushaq Official Sketch
A month ahead of its global debut, the Czech carmaker has released two official sketches of the upcoming SUV which gives us an idea as to what to expect from it. While these are not images of the final production-spec car, since it is from the manufacturer itself, we could expect it to be very close and in line with these drawings. The design of the mid-size SUV takes major inspirations from the VISION IN concept which was showcased last year at the AutoExpo.
Exterior Design
The first sketch is dedicated to Kushaq’s front end which portrays sharply cut, split front LED headlights. The headlamps extend into the wide horizontal slatted signature front grille. It receives a muscular front bumper that houses the fog lamps of either side. Its sharp creases along its side profile and the 17-inch dual-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels complement the front fascia design.
The second rendering focuses on its rear end showcasing design highlights such as an elongated roof spoiler, a rugged rear diffuser and an aggressive bumper. The rear profile is slightly raked and gets boomerang shaped LED taillights. Other design highlights include a skid plate at front, roof rails and body-colored wing mirrors.
Test Mule Spotted
These details out of the rendered image are further established when compared to the latest crop of spy shots which are courtesy of automotive enthusiast Sutharshan. This recent test mule of Kushaq has been spotted somewhere around Tamil Nadu.
As we already know, Kushaq will be the first product from the VW-Skoda alliance to be underpinned by the India-specific MQB-A0 platform. It has jointly developed at Volkswagen Group’s state-of-the-art Technology Centre at Pune, which opened in January 2019.
Customers will receive two choices of powertrains on Kushaq– a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI turbo petrol unit. The former is good enough for 109 bhp and 175 Nm of peak torque whereas the latter can churn out 148 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. Both engines will come mated to a six-speed manual gearbox which sends power to the front wheels only. Whereas a six-speed torque converter and a 7-speed DCT gearbox will be offered as options.
